This policy brief is based on the findings of a literature review and a stakeholder consultation conducted as part of support to Family Planning in Nepal by DFID and USAID, in partnership with the Family Health Division, Ministry of Health.

The original study is one of a series commissioned in 2014 by DFID and USAID to better understand factors affecting access to, and use of family planning services among selected population groups in Nepal:

Migrant workers and their spouses

The urban poor

young people

Muslim communities.

​The existing literature focuses on the wives of male migrants ‒ less is known about the family planning needs of women seeking employment opportunities abroad, though it is acknowledged that they are doing so in ever greater numbers. Given the scale of migration, the case for providing dual protection to women seems fully justified and urgent. The importance of safe contraceptive and HIV prevention options that women can own and manage has long and widely been recognised.